Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Section 298 contradicts Singapore’s secularism, says Muslim group...

A group of moderate Muslims in Singapore have come forward to critique the law under which teen blogger Amos Yee is being investigated, saying that it contradicts the principle of secularism in Singapore.

Singapore Muslims for Secular Democracy (SM4SD) wrote in a statement that Section 298 of Singapore’s Penal Code, which covers actions done “with deliberate intent to wound the religious or racial feelings of any person”, curbs freedoms in Singapore.

“Section 298 trades freedom for peace. Freedom of thought and expression – including the freedom to criticise ideas and the choice to be free of superstitions – is exchanged for social harmony in Singapore,” said the group.

“From a purely secular perspective: religion and therefore, religious feelings, should not be part of the affairs of the state and civil law,” the statement added, emphasising the role that constructive criticism can play in responding to “negative religious feelings” and extremist interpretations of theology.

The Singapore Police Force said on 12 December that a 17-year-old teenager was under investigation for allegedly making religiously offensive remarks online. Amos Yee later confirmed on his public Facebook page that he was being investigated for comments he had made on a blog post, presumably the one in which he had responded to former Nominated Member of Parliament Calvin Cheng’s argument that the children of terrorists had to be killed. Full story...Related posts: